Shattered
by Da-Eh
Summary: Every time Ash shattered her heart, Brock was there to pick up the pieces. But would he be able to gather them all up this time? Gymshipping. Brock x Misty. Rated M for later chapters.
1. A broken heart

**Summary:** Every time Ash shattered her heart, Brock was there to pick up the pieces. But would he be able to gather them all up this time? Slight one-sided AAML. Misty x Brock Gymshipping

**A/N**: Okay, my first Gymshipping fic. :3 This is going to be a long-term story, and I'll try to update as often as I can. Of course, wonderful reviews will make me update faster…  
-wink wink nudge nudge- Haha…but seriously, I do love reviews.  
Anyways, the pairing is Brock x Misty, so if you don't like it…don't read it. There will also be Lemon & Lime in some later chapters. Don't worry, I'll give you a warning beforehand…but if you hate stuff like that…then I recommend you don't read it. xD;  
But anyways…ONTO THE FANFICTION

* * *

The last thing she could remember was how cold it was. Running blindly into the night, she had ignored the freezing rain that threatened to turn into snow. She had run until her legs turned numb, ran until every breath cut her like glass, ran until she couldn't cry any more. But no matter how far she had run, she couldn't forget about him.  
"_Ash…"_  
His name was the last thing on her mind before she collapsed in the freezing rain. His image, the last thing she reached out for. No matter what happened, he was always there. She couldn't erase his memory.  
"_Ash…"_  
And yet, he was the one who had hurt her again. He was the one who used her time and time again. He was the one who overlooked her feelings so simply and yet…he was always the one person on her mind. Always the one person she couldn't find herself letting go of. The one person she let destroy her, hoping that maybe one day he'd change his mind. The one person she'd become such a fool for.  
Ash.  
It was strange, how even when death gripped her heart, it was still aching for him; still aching for the boy who had hurt her so many times, still aching for Ash Ketchum.

And when she awoke, he was still there. Somewhere in the darkness of her mind, he was there. But the part that shocked the young red-head was that she was no longer outside. She had remembered passing out in the streets…but from where she was, it was obvious to see she was not outside, but in a room. A very…childish room, as well. Blinking cerulean hues, Misty forced herself up into a sitting position. Letting her vision re-focus, she began to notice familiar items of the room.  
"_Am I…?"_  
A figure gently opening the door answered her question. Any one else seeing him, dressed up in his frilly pink apron, may have laughed, but to Misty Waterflower, this was the most reassuring image she could think of. Dark squinted eyes seemed to widen slightly, obviously surprised she was awake. The man quickly shut the door behind him, and set down a tray in front of the girl, revealing a hot bowl of soup. The tall, well-toned man, flashed her a smile, and decided to take a seat beside the bed. From his face, he seemed to be concerned, and out of habit, ran his darkly-tanned fingers through his spiked black hair.

Although she was still puzzled, Misty gave him one of her genuine smiles, and took a small sip of the soup. The man seemed content then, and finally seemed to relax.

Sensing this change in the atmosphere, the girl finally felt inclined to ask the question that was burning a hole in the back of her mind.  
"Brock…what happened?" It shocked her how horse and rough it was, so different from her regular voice. Shaking out of this momentary shock, she was able to catch his reply.

"After…" His masculine voice trailed off, he seemed to look down, and then decide to skip that part of the story, "I was concerned about you…so I, erm…sort of 'borrowed' Officer Jenny's motorcycle, and went to look for you." Rubbing the back of his neck, Brock decided not to tell her about totaling the Officer's bike in the end; it'd only concern her more, and make him look like an idiot. "When I found you…the rain had chilled you to the bone…I was so afraid you had gotten Hypothermia or something. Your skin had lost its color…" Sighing, he ran a hand through his raven locks once more, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm just…relieved you're alright." He finished; an obvious look of concern on his face.

Misty felt tears swell up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Hastily, she wiped them away when Brock wasn't looking, and replaced them with a small smile. Eating more of Brock's delicious soup, a feeling of cold slowly melted away. Only when it vanished completely did she stop eating, which was good, considering she had finished the whole bowl. Giving her old friend another smile, she reached for his hand, surprised how warm it was compared to hers. An odd wave of emotions struck her as he returned her smile; Thankfulness, Self-pity, regret, admiration, and a rather fond feeling of friendship. In this state of awe, she found herself fumbling to choose the right words, but in the end settled for a small "Thank you, Brock…"

And that was really all it took.

After three more bowls of soup,(which Brock forced her to eat) the two of them fell into a comfortable silence. It was Misty who spoke first.  
"I hope…I'm not stealing anyone's room…" She knew for a fact that Brock had many brothers and sisters. To her apprehensive tone, the boy laughed light-heartedly.  
"No, no. Don't worry, Miki's on her own Pokemon journey now. This room hasn't been in use lately." That seemed to relax her; glad she wasn't causing too much trouble to his family.

The two fell into another silence, but this time, it was Brock who broke the ice, and when he did, it wasn't with a simple ice-breaker.  
"…Do you want to tell me what happened, Misty?" His voice was calm and gentle; there was no way Misty would ever know how much anger he was currently holding back. All the anger it caused when he saw his best friend being crushed. She looked for fragile…so broken. All his secret hatred for Ash, it was beginning to bubble.

But obviously this had been the wrong question to ask, for the red-head seemed to freeze, clenching her fists so tightly the knuckles turned white. When she refused to answer, Brock let out a sigh, laying a darkly-tanned hand over her own porcelain one.

"Misty, please…" Brock whispered gently, noticing the tears that threatened to spill out of those beautiful hazel eyes.

After several more seconds of that horrible silence, the girl nodded, and finally began to speak…

* * *

**A/N**: Mwahahaha. Cliffhanger. xD;; I'm so evil, I know.

But the next chapter is going to be a lot of flashbacks, and we're going to figure out what actually happened between Ash and Misty. I can tell ya, though…it's gonna be juicy. 3

Comments are appreciated I'll try and update this fast!


	2. The promise of a lifetime

**A/N:** **Heyyy. xD Being stuck with nothing to do makes me wanna write. So I got a jump start on the next chapter. There may be some scenes that are semi-limey. It's not a full-out lemon chapter, though...mainly flashbacks and such. Any thing that's just in italics is a flashback of some sort. Yepp. Just so ya know. :3 **

* * *

In truth, she hadn't wanted to tell him. She really didn't want to bring those memories back up to the surface. But his face…so concerned. She couldn't just leave him out in the cold like that, could she? Her body was moving on its own, now. Her mouth, forming words she wasn't even sure of.

"…He told me he loved me…"

* * *

"_A-ash…not here!" But the raven haired boy didn't seem to hear her muffled cries. Lowering his head, he placed butterfly kisses around her collarbone, nipping at the girl's porcelain skin.  
Letting out a small cry, the red-head used all the force she had to push him off, unable to look him in the eye. She could hear his groan of annoyance. She knew he was annoyed…she had stopped again. She knew he wanted to go further…_

"_What is it now, Mist?" Even in that irritated tone, her heart fluttered at the way he said her name…_

"_It's just…too fast…" Misty mumbled, slowly looking back up at him. When she did, she saw the small smile on his face._

"_C'mon, Mist. After all we've been through…you know I'd never hurt you." His voice seemed to lower, "I love you, Mist…" This, however, came out much more huskily than his last sentence, and before she knew it, his lips were hungrily connected to hers.  
_

* * *

Brock blinked oddly, looking at his friend as if she were crazy. That didn't seem like Ash at all…he was never one to express emotions in such a way. But he caught the small shiver Misty gave, and knew there was more to the story than she had told.  
"How far…did you two go?" He wasn't sure why, but he held his breath after this, desperately hoping she wouldn't say what he feared…  
But Misty smiled the same smile that warmed his heart. He let his breath go.  
"We didn't go that far. I still didn't let him…" Her voice had been fairly calm up until this point, but after this sentence, took a turn for the worse. Shaking gently, the young female let out a rigid sob, shielding her eyes from him with her hands. "That's why…that's why…"

* * *

_It had been over an hour. He was supposed to be here an hour ago… where was he? Wringing her hands together, Misty nervously stalked around the restaurant, her shoulder-length hair swaying gently as she did. The tomboyish female looked rather stunning, sporting a cerulean knee-length dress. The sleeves seemed to hang off of her thin shoulders ever-so-slightly, but didn't seem to bother her much at all._

_A glare from the restaurant manager told her she'd waited long enough. Apologizing, she slipped out the door, and into the cool night. Her heart gave a sharp throb, but for some reason, didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. Maybe it was because she had be expecting it? No…he couldn't have stood her up. He must have gotten caught up with work. Yes… that was it._

_Ash had taken over the __Viridian City__ gym, and was often busy with gym-related businesses. Misty understood, because her sister's had left the gym for her to deal with. And being a gym leader was hard work…_

_Clutching her small, matching purse, the young female quickly took off to the gym's location, ignoring the hoots and winks men tossed off at her. It wasn't something new…the young mermaid had grown quite beautiful. Petite, thin, and equally proportioned, she was a man's dream-gal. Well…maybe if her bust was a tad bigger…but that part didn't seem to bother her that much; smaller boobs fit better into sports bras…and that was what she mainly wore while she was on gym duty. _

_Breaking off from her chain of thought, she halted when she reached the gym, surprised to see that the lights were off. Slowly tip-toeing her way around the side, the girl paused at one of the windows, hesitantly peeking in. What she saw would shock her._

"_O-ooh…Ash, harder!" The brunette cried, and the man was all-too eager to comply. Hoisting her up against the wall, he pounded into her, enjoying the squeals and moans she made. With a scream of his name, she came; but he wasn't done yet. Laying her down on the ground of the gym, he positioned himself back at her entrance, and pounded into her again. The screams of "Harder" echoed through the walls and to the ears of the Cerulean City gym-leader. Hearing more and more of their moans and cries, the girl forced herself away, holding back the increasingly strong urge to vomit._

_Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at holding it back, and when her stomach lurched once more, she let it out. The nausea teamed up with the heartache seemed way too much to handle. What had she seen? Was it true…? It had to be an illusion, a dream…something. It just couldn't be real, could it? Ash…would he really do such things…? And on their three-month anniversary, too? No…no. No, he couldn't have. He wouldn't…_

_But when she checked the window again, the answer was clear. Yes, he had. Yes, he could. And yes, he did._

_She couldn't take it…and that's when she ran.  
_

* * *

  
Brock didn't do as good a job this time when he held back his anger. Seething quietly, Misty could see his hands trembling. Eyes widening, she reached a hand out to him, but flinched. She had never seen Brock so angry before. It frightened her…it frightened her a lot.

"B-Brock…?" She stuttered, her voice unsure. He seemed to notice her discomfort, and stood, ruffling his medium raven locks. Stalking around the room a few times, he settled himself against the back wall, but it was clear he was still angry.

"Sorry, Mist." He muttered, sighing in frustration, "I just…" He was scaring himself, as well. He had never felt so angry…never felt the need to hurt, kill, and do anything to get Ash back for what he had done. "Ash…he really screwed up this time. I'm never going to forgive him for this."

"But Brock--"

"No, Mist. He's hurt you too many times…you almost died tonight…because of _him_." He clenched a tanned fist, looking away, "This time…I'm not forgiving him."  
Glancing down, Misty let a few more empty tears roll out. Brock…he had always been the one to comfort her when Ash did something like this. She felt so selfish…placing all her troubles on him.  
"I'm sorry…I never think about how this affects you…" In truth, Misty was blaming herself for the decaying friendship Brock and Ash had. By laying her problems on him, she was tearing them apart. "I'm…so selfish."

But at this, Brock intervened, stepping back towards her, and shaking his head. "No, Mist…you're not." He was standing beside her now, bending over so he could get a closer look. "If anyone here is selfish…it's Ash." Even at the mention of his name…the two displayed a number of strong emotions. For Misty it was remorse, regret…sorrow. For Brock it was; Anger, Frustration…hatred.

Misty moved to shake her head, but Brock cut her off before she could say anything against it. "Look at it all, Misty. Look at yourself…look what he's done to you…" A warm hand brushed strands of mud-ridden hair away from her face. "He's slowly killing you…"

All those tears, nights, days spent alone, used alone…they were all coming together. All that unused emotion, it was bubbling towards the surface. Misty was sure she had no more tears to cry, but they still came, spilling over as if there were no tomorrow. But this time, she wasn't crying for Ash. She wasn't crying over him…  
She was crying because Brock was right. He was right…she was being torn apart, destroyed. She was crying because she felt so weak…so vulnerable. Crying because she felt worthless, useless, pathetic. Crying because she could…and that Brock let her.

Watching the frail girl in front of him cry, Brock couldn't help but feel his own heart ache. His friend, his beautiful friend…is crying over someone who was so worthless. It hurt him so much; he couldn't do anything to help her. He _couldn't_ be Ash. He _wasn't_ Ash…  
And that's what hurt the most, unable to be the thing she wanted, the thing she desired. He figured he'd do anything just to see that smiling face of hers again. Anything…

But for now; all he could do was take a seat beside her, wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder, and let her cry everything out. For now…all he could do was be her rock. Be the thing she held on to.  
"It'll be okay, Misty…" The masculine voice cooed, his heart shattering at every sob she made. "I won't…let you get hurt again…" No, that wasn't enough for him…he needed to say more.

"I promise…"

* * *

**A/N:** **TBC... xD **


	3. A new day

A/N: OMG I'M SO SORRY. D: I failed youuuu. xD Don't worry, though... heres a new chapter for you!! I'll update more, I prmoise!!  
>w 

* * *

Somewhere during their quiet talks she had fallen asleep. Misty didn't fully realize how tired she actually was. In truth, she didn't even know she was asleep.  
Well...most don't know when they're asleep, but most dream. But she didn't dream that night...it was just black, dark...a void. It was probably good that she didn't dream, for if she did...she figured it'd just be flashbacks of that scene she was still trying so hard to forget.  
She awoke to the sun filtering in through the childish pink curtains. Slowly blinking cerulean eyes, she recapped the events of the pervious night.

_"Ah...Brock."_

Gazing around, she was unable to find his lean form, but did spot a small pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. Pulling herself out from underneath the covers, she crawled over to the pile, noticing a note when she finally settled herself down beside them.

_Misty:  
These are some of my mother's old clothes. Yours are currently in the wash, we can swing by and pick up some more later on if you wish. For now, I hope these are okay.  
-Brock._

Giving a soft smile, she stood and locked the door, before returning to the pile of clothes. At the time she was in a nightgown, and from the look of it, was probably one of Brock's mothers as well...  
She _really _hoped it had been one of Brock's sisters who changed her clothing...  
Sighing, she slipped it off of her, and picked up the first article of clothing; a shirt. It was plain, a white medium-length tee, with sleeves that ended at her elbows. It had a nice accent, a turquoise stripe across the center. Brock's mother was a water Pokemon trainer, wasn't she? She could see why there'd be blue in her clothing. It reminded one of the water...

Stretching a little, she tested the way it fit her body, and was surprised it fit rather well. It seemed to hug her body in all the right places, and still remain loose enough to be comfortable. Smiling, she slipped on the second article of clothing, a worn pair of shorts. These also felt wonderfully, and made Misty glad she had shaved her legs...  
"_Wait…why am I worrying about that, anyways?"_ Buttoning the pair of shorts around her slim waist, the girl spared a glance in the mirror. Her long, red hair trailed half-way down her back, and even though it was tangled, still retained an elegant shape. Running her fingers through most of the tangles, she finally seemed pleased with her appearance.  
This, of course, only caused the girl to pause, her thoughts racing once more. _"Why am I so concerned about the way I look? I'm with Brock…"_

She would have thought over this more, but her stomach gave a growl of protest, telling her to eat. Nodding to herself, Misty quietly exited the room, closing it behind her. The house seemed rather quiet… or…as quiet as Brock's house could be. She still heard Timmy and Bobby arguing over something outside…but other than that, it was fairly calm. The red-head smiled, glad that nothing would worsen her already painful headache. But she was also glad there were others there besides Brock. Younger ears that shouldn't hear of her situation. That spared her from re-telling it, or explaining other details.

"Misty?"

Blinking, the girl turned her head, cerulean eyes focusing on the well-toned man in the apron. She smiled.

Upon seeing this, Brock also smiled, and raised a hand, ushering her in. "C'mon, I've made breakfast for you! Your favorite, even…" He gave a knowing wink, his smile widening when he saw her delighted expression. Breakfast was the way one started off the day…so why not start it off happily?

Quickly, the girl made her way to the kitchen, smiling like a child when she saw the meal he had prepared for her. French Toast, Chocolate-Chip waffles…it was her favorite. The silly man had even made a smiley face on her waffle with powdered sugar. She let out a small giggle, taking a seat.  
"Wow, Brock… you really didn't need to go through all this trouble for me…" Misty mumbled, looking up at him sheepishly. She hadn't wanted to cause him any trouble… or any more than she had really caused.

At this the man shook his head, pouring her a glass of milk, and taking a seat opposite of her. "Misty! It's really no problem at all…" He chuckled, placing a few waffles on his plate. "Your habits have rubbed off on me, anyways. I love these things…" Misty giggled again, taking a bite of her waffle. She remembered how much Brock used to hate Chocolate-Chip Waffles. She didn't know why…he was just weird like that. But after she had literally forced one down his throat, he ended up taking quite a liking to them. [Or he just lied so she wouldn't force-feed him any more. But still…she was relieved to know that he wasn't going through too much trouble.

The two ate their meal talking about their old adventures [Carefully leaving Ash out and going over old jokes. Afterward, the two decided to pay a visit to Cerulean, and possibly pick up more clothes. Misty assured Brock she'd be okay, but he felt otherwise.  
"Misty…you know how you get when you lock yourself up. Your Sister's haven't really been around, either…I don't want to leave you all alone like this…"  
And although she argued… in the end, she couldn't let Brock worry, and agreed.

* * *

Luckily, Cerulean wasn't too far away. After making sure all the kids were alright the two headed off, and were able to arrive there fairly quickly. It was mid-afternoon when they finally arrived at the Cerulean City Gym, and Misty let them in with the key she hid under the third flower-pot.

"Here it is…" She mumbled, showing him a rather empty gym. It was a bad season for traveling, and not many people had come by to claim their gym badges. In short, it wasn't the best time for Pokemon Training. It was getting colder every day…

Brock smiled, walking around, and taking in the sights. "This place hasn't changed at all…it's a nice gym. Good to know your Sisters didn't turn this place upside-down in your absence."

Misty blinked, tilting her head slightly at this. Did Brock say something negative about her sisters? He was one of their many fans, gawking over their beautiful bodies. But… it seemed he was actually taking her side for once on the matter. She gave him a smile, and a playful elbow, "What's this…? Brock's not all googily-eyed over my sisters?" It was odd, but she was relieved at this. Relieved Brock wasn't 'in love' with her sisters. She was close…but she couldn't put her finger on why it actually bothered her so much.

To this, Brock smiled, ruffling her hair and giving a small chuckle. "I can't love every girl, can I, Mist?"

And she wasn't sure why, but this also made her feel better. Once again, she smiled.

TBC…


End file.
